US History. How did the activity of Boss Tweed influence the way the federal government regulated municipal politics?

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How did the activity of Boss Tweed influence the way the federal government regulated municipal politics?

Carine Alexis

March 30, 2011

IB HOTA

Mrs. McGinnis

Word Count: 1,953

How did the activity of Boss Tweed influence the way the federal government regulated municipal politics?

  1. Plan of Investigation

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the question of how and why the

 actions of Boss Tweed led to the beginning of a federal regulation of municipal government. The main body of investigation will analyze the extensive and unregulated power of Tammany Hall over New York City during the Gilded Age. It will also focus on assessing the individual, corrupt procedures of Tweed as well as the role of the federal government over New York City before and after his arrest. Accounts of historians as well as the publications of New York City based newspaper, Harper’s Weekly, will be used to evaluate the roles of Tweed as the Boss of Tammany Hall. Two of the sources used in this essay, Boss Tweed by Kenneth Ackerman and “Who Stole the People’s Money?”, a political drawn by Thomas Nast during the Gilded Age will be evaluated according to their origins, purposes, values, and limitations.

  1. Summary of Evidence

The Role of Federal Government over New York Before Tweed

  • In the 1800’s New York had an influx of immigration from Eastern Europe (Calhoun 63).
  • In 1834, New York City received the right to select its own mayor (Lankevich 91).
  • There was an increasing demand for public services such as sewage systems, transportation systems, and police departments (Lankevich 91).
  • Alliances emerged between city officials and businessmen (Lankevich 91).
  • Immigrant voters often supported bosses in order to obtain services unusually provided by government agencies (Lankevich 91).
  • In the 1850’s Congress was preoccupied with legislation pertaining to the Civil War (Lankevich 92).
  • There was a division of control in the national government between the Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats often controlled much of the House of Representatives and the Republicans often controlled much of the Senate (Calhoun 188).
  • Democrats believed that the federal government should be limited (Calhoun 216).
  • Democrats were supported by Catholics and non-evangelical Protestants (Calhoun 217).
  • Congress was slow to instate new legislature (Calhoun 188).

The Political Activity of Tweed

  • In 1853, a municipal charter removed Tweed and other politicians who provided patronage from the City Council (Lankevich 93).
  • Tweed spent a term as a congressman from 1853 to 1855 (Allen 85).
  • From 1859 to 1865, Tweed placed democrats  such as Richard Connolly, John Hoffman, Oakey Hall,  and George Barnard in various municipal positions such as district attorney general and mayor, thus creating what is referred to as “Tweed’s Ring” (Allen 88).
  • Tweed and fellow democrat Peter Sweeny made the Democratic Central Committee of New York County allied with Tammany Hall and gained dictatorial power over party nominations and judicial posts (Lankevich 101).
  • Tweed appointed himself as deputy street commissioner in 1863 (Allen 94).
  • In 1864 Tweed bought interest in the New York Printing Company (Allen 94).
  • “The ballots make no result. The counters make the result.” –Tweed (Beatty 216).
  • In the 1868 election Tweed manufactured 45,000 votes (Beatty 216).
  • Tammany Hall became the dominate political organization in New York City (Mandelbaum 69).
  • Tweed bribed the tax collector of the Citizen’s Association (Allen 91).
  • Tweed, Sweeny, Connolly, and Hall each received 20% of the cost of every inflated bill (Allen 106).
  • Municipal debt increased greatly (Lankevich 104).
  • Tweed provided the city with a new professional fire department, funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, participated in the planning of the Brooklyn Bridge, and the creation of the Board of Health (Lankevich 104).
  • Tammany Hall taxed property and campaigned against legislature that would revoke this authority in the 1870’s (Beatty 23).
  • In 1870 Albany approved legislature that enabled of the New York City mayor to select the heads of departments (Lankevich 105).
  • In 1871, the sheriff of New York, Jimmy O’Brien, requested $250,000 from Tweed and was denied (Lankevich 106).
  • O’Brien duplicated several of Tweed’s bills and records and gave them to George Jones, the editor of The New York Times (Lankevich 106).
  • Boss Tweed was arrested soon after (Ackerman 251).
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Reactions to Tweed and the Role of Federal Government over New York after Him

  • Thomas Nast’s cartoon, “Who Stole the People’s Money?” was published on August 19, 1871 (Harper’s Weekly).
  • A council of political reform that consisted of seventy leaders, including the state chairman of the Democratic party, was organized and uncovered more evidence about Tweed’s activities (Lankevich 106).
  • Tweed’s associates either resigned or fled the country (Ackerman 255).
  • The American Medical Association’s Code of Ethical Practice was established (Mandelbaum 151).
  • In the late nineteenth century, federal government issued a series of Acts. (Calhoun 208)
  • The Pendleton ...

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